Alone In His World
by BleedingHeart765
Summary: "H-Hello? Hello Ichigo it's me? Are you there?" That voice, it couldn't be. There's no way, I saw him die. "Ichigo?" The voice sounded scared and it sounded like crying. "Ichigo. Please answer and I can explain. Ichigo you're all I have left. It's cold and wet. Ichigo? Ichigo? Ichigo? I came to you for help. No one else will help me. Not even-" Suddenly the line went dead. "Xaine?"
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Ichigo had just gotten home from a long day at work. He was tired and ready to just collapse on his bed. He headed to the porch and he jumped at the sight of the blood on the porch. His eyes followed to blood to the door. There was an unconscious young man in the corner, covered in blood and naked. "Shit!"

He moved closer to the unconscious male and checked his pulse. He was barely still alive He quickly fished out his phone and called for help. "Hello, I have an emergency. This guy is hurt in my eleva-" He stopped mid-sentence when a hand shot up and grabbed his wrist. He looked at the seemingly unconscious man, his eyes were still closed. "No…hospital." He heard the young man groan. "Sir? Sir?" Ichigo ended the call and looked at the young man.

"You're hurt. You'll die if you don't get help."

"Ichi." The young man managed to moan out and the orangette's eyes widened in shock. HE moved the hair out of the man's face. He immediately recognized the male as his missing friend from almost ten years ago. "Xaine?" He groaned, but didn't open his eyes. "Ichi. No…hospital" Ichigo redialed for help. "I need help now he's dying and I don't know how long he'll live." He gave the woman the address "Alright they're on their way." He hung up the phone and held the injured young man's face "Xaine? Xaine, hold on you're getting help." Xaine could barely keep his eyes open.

"Do-don't leave me, Ichi."

"I won't, I promise." Xaine fell limp in the orangette's arms.

xXx

Ichigo was fast asleep in Xaine's room in a chair, waiting for him to awake. "Ichigo?" The light voice didn't wake him up. Someone tapped on his shoulder and he jumped slightly. There stood a busty woman with burnt orange hair and grey eyes. She wore a nurse uniform and she was holding a clipboard. "Orihime?"

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Ichigo rubbed his eyes and explained everything from finding Xaine in the elevator and now. "I already took off. I told him that I wouldn't leave his side." Orihime nodded. "What are you doing here, Orihime?"

"I'm an intern here for now. Uryu helped me get the internship." Ichigo smiled lightly. "That's great."

"So will you be taking care of him?" Ichigo nodded. "It seem so. What can you tell me?"

"He received an injury to the head, a stab wound in the side, and…." She trailed off while looking down at the clipboard in sadness. "Orihime. What else happened?" She bit her lip and looked at him nervously. "Please, he's my friend. I want to know everything."

"He's uh… He's suffered from well…. he was also bleeding from his bottom suggesting that…." Ichigo held his hand up to stop her. "I get it. You don't have to explain." She nodded very relieved that she didn't have to explain. "He has a few cuts and bruises, but he doesn't have any next of kin and no emergency contacts." Ichigo frowns. "He did go missing when we were kids, but I thought he'd still have someone." Orihime shook her head. "He can be released as soon as he awakes." Ichigo nodded.

"Thanks, Orihime." She smiled and skipped out of the room humming. "I…Ichi_kun." He turned his head to look at his childhood friend. Xaine had long silky black hair that stopped at his waist. His skin was pale but not as pale as others, in fact when the moonlight hits him just right, it's almost as if he glows. The fringes framed his effeminate face stopping at his chin, and his bangs slightly covered his eyes. His eyes were hazel with blue around the pupil. In his left ear was industrial piercing, and the piercing being used was black and arrow shaped. There was a tragus piercing in his right ear and an anti-tragus piercing in his left ear. He also had two loop earrings in his ear lobes. HE was wrapped in bandages from his head to his arms and torso.

He squinted his eyes in Ichigo's direction. "Are you there?" Ichigo hurried to Xaine's side and held his hand. "Xaine, what happened? Where have you been?"

"I don't remember." Ichigo frowned remembering that Orihime mentioned him being hit in the head. "You might have amnesia. I'm gonna take you home with me."

"Won't I get in trouble with your dad?" Xaine asked. 'He must think we're still kids.' Ichigo shook his head no. "We're much older now. I don't live with my dad." Xaine pouted and rubbed his eyes. "I can't see."

"I'll take care of you. Let's go."

xXx

Xaine ran into a wall trying to get to the living room. He fell on his butt and rubbed it. "Ow." He looks up to see orange heading his way. "Ich-" He was interrupted by Ichigo putting a hand over his mouth.

xXx

Earlier that morning

Ichigo watched Xaine sleep in his new room debating on whether to leave him by himself. Xaine had been here for a week, and Ichigo had been out of work for a week. He had just gotten a call from his boss, stating that he couldn't miss any more work. He had to come in, but he didn't want to leave Xaine here by himself. He snapped out of his train of thought when there was a knock at the door. He walked to the door and looked through the peephole. His eyes widened in shock and confusion. He turned around and put his back to the door. "Berry, open up. We know you're in there." Ichigo closed his eyes to slow down his heart rate. 'Please go away.'

"Berry." The voice was deep with a gruff silky tone. "It's time to go back. How long did you think you could hide?" Ichigo could feel his heart rate beat faster. "I can pick a lock, bust down the door, or you can let me in." He could tell the voice was getting irritated. He jumped when he heard a crash. He saw Xaine rubbing his butt on the hardwood floor, so he rushed over to the oblivious raven. "Ich-" Ichigo covered his mouth then put a finger to his mouth to signal quietness. Xaine nodded.

There was a loud bang at the door making both men jump. "We have to hide." Ichigo whispered. Xaine followed his friend to one of the rooms. He watched Ichigo hurriedly open an empty closet. He felt the walls for something. His hands stopped at an invisible panel and pushed it inward. The wall opened to reveal a bigger space to hide in. As soon as it opened they heard a loud crash and someone yelling. "Ichigo!"Ichigo pulled Xaine inside the closet and closed the door. He then pulled Xaine into a new hiding spot. Ichigo sat on the floor and pulled Xaine into his lap. He was sitting in Ichigo's lap looking into chocolate brown eyes. Then the wall closed surrounding the two in darkness. Xaine looked around in panic and began to hyperventilate. "Shhh." Xaine buried his face in the crook of Ichigo's neck squeezing his shoulders. Ichigo hugged him tightly to comfort the scared raven.

"Ichigo, where the hell are you?" The voice was upset. "I saw you come in here. If you don't come out you will regret it." The voice threatened. After a long pause, there was a lot of crashing noises. "Xaine. I want you to help me find a hidden panel so we can get out of here." Ichigo whispered in his ear and Xaine nodded. He felt the walls for a hidden panel. "Xaine, hurry." Ichigo started to panic when he saw smoke finding its way under the door.

Xaine finally found it and pushed it in. They both were pushed through an opening and through a tunnel. Xaine started crawling forward with Ichigo right behind him. "Ichi, who was that?"

"My ex. It's kind of complicated." Ichigo said as they made it to the end of the tunnel. They crawled from under the porch and walked towards the sidewalk. They turned around to see the house ablaze. "We can't stay. We have to go." As soon as Ichigo turned around he received a punch to the face. He fell to the ground. "Ichi!" Someone grabbed Xaine from behind by his neck and waist.

"I knew you were still in there." Ichigo was kicked in the stomach and the air was knocked right out of him. "Stop it!" Xaine tried to help his childhood friend, but whoever held him wouldn't let go. Xaine froze at the sound of a sickening crack and pained scream. He watched The same guy that was hurting Ichigo walked over to Xaine. A hand grabbed his cheek and turned it toward the face. Dark brown eyes, spiky red hair, and a wide smirk. His eyes widened in realization. 'The monster from the other day.'

"I remember you. You're that brat I was supposed to find. I found you and I got the chance to have a little fun with you."

"Th-that was you? You did that to him, bastard." Xaine closed his eyes in fear as a hand touched is stomach. "How cute. We should have more fun." Xaine finally had enough and kicked him in between his legs. The red head doubled over and groaned in pain. Xaine did the same to guy behind him. He pushed the guy away and ran over to Ichigo. He helped Ichigo to his feet only for him to groan out in pain. Ichigo stumbled forward, but Xaine made sure he didn't fall. "My ankle."

"You little bitch." Xaine looked at the man in fear as he struged to get up. "You're going to pay." Xaine quickly secured Ichigo on his back and bean to run off. "Get back here!"

"Woah, you're a fast runner." Ichigo complimented. "Why did you date him? He's a big jerk." Xaine said. "We'll talk later, keep running."

"Run where?"

"Get back here, you little punk!" They could hear their attackers ranting behind them. Ichigo looked behind them. "They're gaining!" Xaine turned a corner and ran across the busy street dodging cars. "You idiot! We could both get hurt." Xaine began crossing another street, one that wasn't as busy as the first. Xaine could feel the tears running down his cheek. He stopped in the middle of street. "Wha the hell are you doing?" Xaine literally grabbed Ichigo by his collar and threw him across the street. As soon as he did, he heard the unmistakable screech of a car trying to stop. Just as he was about to move out the way, a gunshot rang out.

xXx

Ichigo landed on his ass. "Xaine, what the hell?!" He turns around in time to hear a gunshot. His eyes widened as a small hole appear in the middle of Xaine's forehead. "No." Then a car hit Xaine sending him tumbling over the car and landing on his back. "Xaine!" Ichigo stands up to run to his friend's aid. His foot collapsed under him, causing a great deal of pain. He stood up again and hopped on his good foot over to his unmoving friend. Ichigo dropped to his knees and look at him with wide eyes.

There laid Xaine with ripped clothing, a bruised body, and what looked like a bullet hole in the middle of his head. He stared back at Ichigo with tear filled lifeless eyes. "Xaine." His childhood friend face was becoming wet with his tears.

"Can't leave a job unfinished, now can I?" Something slammed into his bad leg forcing a pain scream. A hand grabbed a fistful of his hair and dragged him away from Xaine's body. He could hear the cock of a gun. "Now to tie up loose ends." He could feel the barrel of a gun touch his temple and the pressure of the man's knee in his back.. "Nothing personal, just business." He watched his once lost childhood friend die before his eyes and now it was his turn to die. He closed his eyes and waited for his end. He heard a faint gunshot, but the problem was that he was still alive.

The weight on his back was gone and the hair tugging stopped. Without hurting himself more, he crawled over to Xaine and rested his head on the dead body's chest, but still able to see what was going on. A man in black held a gun to the killer's head. "Who said you could kill in my territory?"

"Fuck you Ja-"He pulled the trigger and the killer's body fell to the floor. After that, his eyes were blinded by tears, so it was difficult to see. "Oi, you okay, kid?"


	2. Chapter 2

xXx

Electric blue eyes watched two people run across a busy street. One had long black hair, shining white skin, and two colored eyes. He looked like he was crying. The other was riding piggy back. He had bright orange hair and chocolate brown eyes. He seemed to be in pain. 'What could be panicking those two? That Berry, kid looks familiar.' He turned his attention to the tv in the diner that he sat in. He watched the screen to see the same guy posing for the camera. "A model huh." He stands up and stretches. "Better help the berry, I guess."

He walked out of the diner with his hands in his pockets. He casually walked down the street following the panicking model and his friend. He walked onto the scene just in time. He watches the raven throw the model across the street. 'Damn, he's strong.' A gunshot rang loudly and the raven stopped his movements. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a red head pointing a gun right at the raven. He watched a car come out of nowhere and hit to injured raven.

He tumbled over the car and hit the ground. "Xaine!" He watched the berry stand up only to fall back down. 'He's hurt. I can't sense anything from that other kid. Seems like he's gone.' The berry hopped over to the fallen raven and dropped to his knees. He began to walk over, until his phone rang. HE fished it out of his pocket. It was a text. 'You've got a job to do.' He rolled his eyes and put his phone back in his pocket. He turned his attention back to the scene at the sound of an ear piercing scream. "Can't leave a job unfinished, now can i?"

He watched the red head drag the berry away from the dead body. He was thrown to the floor with a gun pointed to his head. "Now to tie up loose ends." 'Enough of this.'

"Now to tie up loose ends." He pulled his right hand out and let a gun materialize in his hand. "Nothing personal, just business." He aimed the gun at the red head's shoulder. The red head dropped the gun and held his arm. The red head stumbled off of the berry's back and glared at the blue eyed man. "You."

"Who said you could kill in my territory?" He pointed his gun at the red head's head. "Fuck you Ja-"He pulled the trigger and the killer's body fell to the floor. The blue eyed man turned from the body and looked at the berry, who laid over the raven's body. "Oi, you okay, kid?"

xXx

Ichigo looked at the man in black with mild concern. 'He saved me.' He could hear sirens in the distance. "We gotta go, kid. There's nothing you can do for him now. I promise, we'll visit him." A hand grabbed his arm, but he snatched away. "No. I can't leave him like this." He heard a low growl and then everything went black.

xXx

Two days later

Ichigo sat in the stranger's bed looking at his hands. He hadn't moved from the spot since. "You can't just sit in my bed moping all damn day." He didn't look up at the man, since there was no point. "Hey, look at me!" A hand grabbed his face and lifted it to look into irritated blue eyes. "I saved you from death, so now you owe me." He looked at the man with dull eyes. "Fucking hell. What if I told ya the kid aint dead? Will ya stop acting like a sour puss all day, Berry?" Ichigo looked at the man in confusion. "Wha?"

xXx

"Shame what happened to the poor boy." Two doctors stood outside the morgue, each with a clipboard. The first was a man had long red hair with blue grey eyes behind thin framed glasses. "Yeah. A fatal headshot. I heard the cute little model witnessed the whole thing." Said the second doctor. He had messy blonde hair with green eyes. "Really? What I wouldn't give to interview him." The first doctor answered licking his lips. "So damn cute. I can watch him all day. It makes me wonder." The second doctor looked at the first. "Oh? What's that?"

"If he's a virgin or not."

"There's no way he can be. Not with a face and body like that."

"You think that kid in there was his boyfriend or something?"

"If that's the case, they're both lucky. I'd date either one of them."

"What's that?" Both doctors turn at the sound of banging and crying inside.

xXx

A few minutes ago.

Xaine's body laid on a metal slab inside a personal storage. The hole in his head closed up and the bruises on his body disappeared. The stitches on his chest undid themselves. The life returned to his once dead eyes. He closed his eyes and reopened them. All he could see was darkness as he looked around. His hands moved upward to touch a metal wall. He moved his hands to both sides to feel the same thing. He began to panic and tears formed in his eyes. He could hear himself hyperventilate as he banged on what he assumed was the door.

"Someone help! Get me out! It's dark in here. I want out." Afraid that no one was able to hear his cries, he continuously banged on the door unknowingly making dents in it. He kept hitting the door until he was able to see a crack of light. He then heard voices. "Something's in that kid's freezer. Wh-why don't you check it?"

"Nu-uh, you check it." He looked through the crack to see two men in lab coats arguing. While arguing with each other, Xaine touches his hand on the door and it just falls off. Both men turn to him, leaving him feeling nervous and uneasy while being the center of attention. "N-no way." Both men looked at Xaine in awe as the young man climbed out of the freezer holding his white sheet close to his body. He stood up straight and held the cover close to his body.

"It's cold. Can I have some clothes please?" Xaine asked finally getting the courage to speak. "This isn't real. Y-you had a bullet to the head. We took your organs. We cut you open. You should be dead!" The blonde winced making Xaine flinch and back away from the two. "I-I'm sorry."

"This is amazing. This is not the first case I've heard of. I thought they were all crazy, but now that I've seen it firsthand." The red head took a step forward and Xaine took a step back. "You have very amazing regenerative powers. Recovered from a bullet to the head. Able to reproduce organs even after their removal. Simply phenomenal."

"I really need to go home." Xaine began to walk past the ginger, but he grabbed his arm. Xaine looked at the man. "Don't go. You can stay with me." The red head pulls him closer until his chest touches the younger man's back. The red head then wrapped his arms around Xaine's waist. "I can give you everything you could ever need. You could ever want. All you have to do is answer my questions. Please." Xaine shook his head. "No. I want Ichigo. I don't want to stay here." Xaine knew the man wasn't letting go, so he grabbed a nearby empty pan and hit the man in the face with it. The red head grunted, but let go while holding his now bleeding nose. Xaine took the opportunity to run off.

"Dammit." The blonde snapped out of his thoughts and ran to his fellow doctor's aid. "You alright, Angel?" Angel gently pushed him off. "Never mind that. Go alert Aizen and the others. I'll go after the kid. He's not getting away." Angel immediately ran off after the young man. 'You won't get away.'


	3. Chapter 3

Xaine kept running receiving looks from everyone. He didn't have time to stop. "Woah. Slow down." A hand grabs his arm making him turn around. He looks at the person in fear. It was a man with blonde hair and grey eyes. "Where are your clothes?" Xaine tried to snatch away and run, but the man had an iron grip on him. "Pl-please let go. I don't want to stay here." He could feel tears fall down his face, but he didn't care. The man frowned. "I-I can't stay." The blonde man pulled Xaine along. "Please let go."

Xaine finally pulled himself away and ran. He ducked into what he guessed was a locker room and searched open lockers for something to wear. He found some scrubs and a cellphone with half a battery left. He quickly put on the scrubs and put the phone in his shirt pocket. "I think he's in here!" Xaine quickly hid in a locker and quietly hid inside. He backed in as far as he could and looked through the slits. They were hospital scrubs. "Did we miss him?" Three shadows passed by the locker. "Looks that way. Why are we doing this for those nut jobs?"

"Apparently, he has something they want."

"Poor kid." He heard the voices become faint. When he no longer heard the voices, he quietly opened the locker. He ran out of the locker room and out of the hospital.

xXx

Ichigo sat in the living room on the floor by the sofa, since the man kicked him out of the room for moping for so long. He still didn't believe that his childhood friend was alive. "Not only was he shot in the head, but he was also hit by a car that didn't stop. He watched the life leave his friends eyes. The memories haunted him.

"Berry!" He still continued to look at his hands. "Berry. I called your job. You have two weeks to grieve. Your boss was pretty pissed, but he understands grieving." The blue haired man said tossing the phone to Ichigo. As soon as the phone landed in his lap, the phone vibrated. He didn't recognize the number at all, but he chose to answer it anyway. Instead of putting the phone to his ear, he put it on speaker. He said nothing.

"H-Hello? Hello, Ichigo, it's me? Are you there?" That voice, it couldn't be. There's no way, I saw him die. "Ichigo?" The voice sounded scared and it sounded like crying. "Ichigo. Please answer and I can explain. Ichigo you're all I have left. It's cold and wet. Ichigo? Ichigo? Ichigo? I came to you for help. No one else will help me. Not even-" Suddenly the line went dead. "Xaine? Xaine?" The blue haired man called out.

xXx

Xaine stood under an awning holding the phone to his ear trying to talk to his friend while trying to stay warm. "Ichigo. Please answer and I can explain. Ichigo you're all I have left. It's cold and wet." He was completely soaked from the rain and it was worse since it was the middle of winter. His blue lips were cold and he was paler than usual. He tried hugging himself for warmth. It didn't help since he was wearing scrubs and no shoes. His tears were the only warmth he had. "Ichigo? Ichigo? Ichigo? I came to you for help. No one else will help me. Not even-" Suddenly the line went dead.

"Ichigo? Ichigo?" He looked at the phone and it just died on him. Xaine dropped the phone and fell to his knees and rubbed his arms up and down. People walked past but none stopped to help. He was slowly going in and out of consciousness. A warm hand touched his cheek, but he didn't have the energy to look at the person. Something warm was wrapped around his body. "It's too cold to be wearing your attire, Xaine." The voice sounded so familiar, but he couldn't place the voice with a name since he was trying to keep warm.

xXx

Ichigo looked at the man in confusion. He could see the anger and worry on his face.

"How….do you-"

Before he could finish, he received a punch in the face. The blow sent him flying into a nearby wall. Ichigo slid to the floor and looked up in confusion. The blue hair man grabbed the front of Ichigo's shirt and lifted him off the ground. He slammed Ichigo into the wall. "The hell is wrong with you?! He calls you. You for help and you don't even say anything to him. You know his voice. How could you not believe he was alive?! I told you he was alive! Don't you think I would know something?" Ichigo still said nothing. "What the hell happened to that tough guy attitude? You can put up a front on tv but when you're needed you just sit there and cower like the scared little kitten you are."

Ichigo dared not look at the man in the eye. "If you weren't Xaine's friend, I'd leave your sorry ass on the street." He dropped Ichigo on his ass and walked away. "I'm going to find him. When I bring him back, your sorry ass better have a good reason why you didn't answer him." He watched the man grab his jacket and umbrella. "My fucking name is Grimmjow by the way." Ichigo flinched at the sound of the door slamming. 'What did I just do?'

xXx

Grimmjow had been driving his car through the city looking for the supposed to be dead raven for over two hours. He should've just taken Xaine's body with him when he had the chance. Leaving Xaine's body out there was his fault, but it was Kurosaki's fault for not saying something to the scared raven. Since they came from the same place, Grimmjow knew all about Xaine. Knowing Xaine, he was probably panicking about how Ichigo was probably dead. But since it was raining and no store was open, he was probably outside somewhere freezing. This city was too big for him to look alone.

Just as he decided to call, his phone rang. "What is it?"

"Grimmy." He inwardly groaned at the sound of the voice. Of all people to call, it had to be her. "You'll never guess what Ulqui found outside by the candy store." Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "Nel, I don't have time for this. I really need to-"

"But Grimmy, he found poor Xaine out in the cold in just some scrubs. He looked really bad. Im glad Ulqui found him before the storm hit."

"Where are you now?!" He asked interrupting her in an excited panic. "At Ulqui's place. Are you coming, Grimmy?"

"Making a quick detour first." He stomped on the brakes and did a 180 heading back to the apartment.

xXx

"Yo, Kurosaki!" Grimmjow called slamming the door open. The smell of food immediately hit his nose, so he headed to the kitchen. There stood Ichigo with his back turned. "Kurosaki." Ichigo turned around to look at Grimmjow. 'So he bounced back.' He was no longer looking at a sad piece of crap from two hours ago. His damp hair suggested that he took a shower not too long ago. His sad and dull brown eyes were now filled with determination and fire, like usual. There was a small bruise from when he punched the orange haired man earlier. "I thought he'd be with you."

"He's with a friend. What are you doing?" It was quiet for a few minutes. "Thought about what you said and you were right. I decided to make his favorite food and apologize."

"Tch." Grimmjow leaned against the wall with his arms folded. "Xaine will gladly accept the apology if food is involved. But on a side note." Grimmjow pushed himself off the wall and walked closer to Ichigo. He raised his hand and smacked the back of his head. Ichigo glared at him and rubbed the back of his head. "What the hell?! What was that for you blue haired bastard?"

"Don't ever act like that ever again, especially if you're going to be living here." Grimmjow ordered with seriousness flickering dangerously in his eyes. "You're letting me stay?" Ichigo asked in mild shock. "I know that was your house they burned down a few days ago. Now you owe me three favors." Ichigo scowled, but nodded anyway. "Wait. Why three?" He asked in realization. "If you're going to live here, you need your own stuff, which I'll be happy to supply, if you agree to my favors."

"What are they?"

"I gave you the first." Ichigo looked at him in confusion. "Don't do that to Xaine again. He's important to me."

"But why? Why is he important to you? How do you know me?" There was a short pause. "I'll tell you on the way to see him." Ichigo nods. "Second, I want you to be the maid."

"Maid?! What the fuck?" Grimmjow shrugged. "Call yourself a butler if you like. I don't care, but I need someone to help out. I fired my last maid for stealing from me. Since I'm barely home, I never get to clean. Now, it's your job." He said poking Ichigo in the chest.

"I do have my own job."

"You're off the next two weeks, remember? Plus, it's not hard to pose for pictures." Ichigo just rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"I haven't decided on the third, so just pay attention." Grimmjow lifted. "Pack up the food and let's go." Ichigo scowled as the man turned and left the kitchen. This was going to be fun.


	4. Chapter 4

Xaine sat against the headboard looking straight at a closed door. He was dry and snuggled up in a nice fluffy robe. He played with his fingers while looking down at his lap, in deep thought. Why didn't Ichigo say anything? Did Ichigo hate him? Why wouldn't Ichigo help him? The thought of being abandoned saddened him even more. Then a sudden thought came to mind. "Sister." He mumbled as the door bursts open. "Xaine!"

Two familiar figures stand in the doorway. The first, he recognized immediately with his orange hair. The other had contrasting blue hair. "Ichi? Grimmj-" He was cut off by Ichigo running up and hugging him tightly. "Xaine. I'm so sorry. I'm glad you're okay."

"Ichi? You do care?" Xaine questioned. "Of course. I'm sorry I should've answered you." Ichigo answered. "He's just an idiot, kid. Don't be too hard on him." Grimmjow walked closer to the bed as Ichigo let go. "How ya feeling?"

"Warmer." Xaine answered. "But….I think I'm in trouble."

"Why would you think that?"

"In that hospital. There were people after me. I think they wanted to experiment on me. They said that they removed everything so there should be no way I was surviving." Xaine explained. "This aint good." Grimmjow mumbled and sat next to Ichigo. "What's going on?" Ichigo looked between the two. "Technically, we're orphans." Grimmjow started. "Technically?" Ichigo asked as he pulled out a bowl filled with soupy content and another filled with some dumplings. Xaine's eyes lit up as Ichigo handed them over to Xaine. "There's a tray under the bed." Ichigo bent over to grab the tray that was halfway under. He laid the tray in Xaine's lap and Xaine set the food down. "Thank you." Xaine smiled at the man and started digging in.

"We're considered orphans, because we were taken away from our families, because their debt was too high. Some gave us away willingly, but most of us were taken."

Ichigo frowned. "Isn't that considered kidnapping?"

"In other places, probably. It was law. We were taken to an orphanage that was attached to a lab. Obviously we were experimented on. They used hundreds of us. Not all of us lived, but those who did, were apart of a project called Arrancar. We were fused with animal DNA with highly advanced technology. Thus, giving us advanced regenerative abilities and other inhuman like abilities."

"So, that's why Xaine came back to life? All of you can do that?"

"No. Just Xaine and two others." Grimmjow answered, snatching a dumpling out of Xaine's hand. "Hey." Xaine folded his arms and pout. "Don't be spoiled." Grimmjow took a bite of the dumpling. "This aint bad."

"He talked about you all the time, Ich." Grimmjow said with a mouthful of dumpling. Ichigo looked at Xaine, who only looked back at him. "Missed ya a lot. He and a handful of us broke out of the facility to start a new life and so he could find you. That was two years ago." Grimmjow answered. "Xaine. What happened before you came to my house? Who hurt you?"

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at Xaine, not knowing what Ichigo was talking about. Xaine looked down at his food, avoiding their gazes. "You might've already killed the man that did it to him. Before you saved me, he was attacked and bleeding out. He had temporary blindness, too."

"Why didn't ya call for help?" Grimmjow asked. "I lost my phone." Xaine answered. "You dropped it somewhere?" Xaine didn't feel the need to answer the obvious. "You'll need another phone. I'll see if I can get ya one." Grimmjow stood up to leave, but Xaine reached for his hand, but Xaine missed. "Yo." Ichigo called and Grimmjow stopped at the doorway. "Where's Alec?"

Ichigo looked at Xaine with a raised eyebrow. "Your sisters?"

Xaine nodded and waited for an answer from Grimmjow. "She's out, but we're not sure where she is." He answered.

"Can we go find her?" Xaine asked. "We can try." Grimmjow answered and left the room. "Do you think he's mad at me?" Xaine asked. "I don't see why he would. He's probably upset that you were hurt and he couldn't help you." Ichigo assumed. Xaine frowned. "But."

"Don't worry. He'll probably just find a way to keep a close eye on you." Ichigo reassured him. "We can search for her tomorrow if you'd like."

Xaine looked down and bit his lip. "Okay. I hope she's okay."

xXx

She ran down the street, wearing a black night gown. Her long hair flowed freely behind her as she kept going non stop. He was nearby, she could sense him. She turned her head to see if she was being followed. "I think she went this way!" Someone yelled. She ran as fast as she could to get away when she tripped over something. After falling flat on her face, she scrambled to her feet and kept running. She frantically looked around for some place to hide. All the house lights were off, except one on a nearby house. She hurried over and began to climb to the third floor window. Luckily it was open, so she crawled in and right under the bed, so she wouldn't be seen.

She curled into a ball and tried to sleep. "Ichi?" She heard a quiet voice moan out. Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice. Could it be? "I know, Xaine. Night." The light was switched off and footsteps faded. When the footsteps fade away, she crawled from under the bed and climbed on top. She crawled under the cover. She wrapped her arms around the body in the bed and rested her head on their shoulder. "Who are you?" Asked the familiar voice. She only squeezed in response. It was quiet for a few minutes. "Alec?" She squeezed again in response.

"You're okay. I'm so happy." He spoke slowly as sleep took over. For the first time since she left, she finally relaxed and went to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Early next morning

Xaine opened his eyes and turned over. He expected to see someone, but they weren't there. Was he dreaming? Did his sister not hold him while they slept? He couldn't have been dreaming, could he? He crawled over to the side and leaned forward. He searched under the bed and there was nothing. "Feeling better?" He turned to the voice in the doorway. There was a woman in the doorway. Xaine had to be at least two inches taller than her. She had wavy turquoise hair that went past her shoulders. She wore a white night gown that showed off her killer figure.

"Yes, but…"

"But what?" She asked as Xaine crawled to the edge of the bed. Before he could answer, there was a crash and a loud scream. Xaine and the woman head towards the scream. Ichigo was the first one on the scene and paused to assess the situation. He assumed that one of the runaways were pinned to the floor with his arms behind his back. He was sporting a black eye while pleading for the attacker to let go. The attacker only twisted his arm. "Ow! Please let go! I'm sorry!" He pleaded. Now, it was time for Ichigo to step in. He hurried over and pulled the attacker off of the pleading young man. Ichigo held onto the young man's arm. By this time, other appeared on the scene.

Nel hurried over to help the young man to his feet. He started to rub his darkened eye. "No don't." Nel pulled his hand away. "What happened?"

"I just needed to pee and I forgot to knock. She attacked me. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry." The young man explained and apologized. "Accidents happen." Nel looks to Ichigo. "Can you take care of this?" She asked Ichigo. "Course."

Nel nods in approval and leads the victim out of the bathroom. "What the hell is wrong with yo-" Ichigo froze as he looked at the attacker. She glared back at him with deep crimson eyes. She had peach colored skin with long auburn hair that stopped at her feet. It was stringy from being damp and she clutched the towel around her body, tightly. "A female?" He asked. "Yeah, dummy." Grimmjow popped his head in. "The kid said **'SHE'** attacked him." Grimmjow pointed out the obvious. Ichigo ignored the man in favor of staring at the young woman. She was beautiful and yet, very familiar. "Alec?"

Both she and Ichigo turn to Xaine, who eyed them with worry. "Are you okay?" He asked and she only smiled and nodded. "Alec?" Ichigo questioned and looked back at her. He knew she looked familiar. Now he remembers a little girl with pigtails, braces, and thin framed glasses. He remembers her looking somewhat geeky, but she was still cute. "This is Alec, then?" Grimmjow looked at Xaine. "You said to look for a red head with glasses and braces. A geek, a nerd, not a damn model. She's hot."

"The last time we saw each other, was the day we got separated. I thought she'd look the same." Xaine explained with a pout. Grimmjow folds his arms and turned his head. "Don't make that face at me. You're the one that forgot about puberty."

"She's not hot, she's pretty. You shouldn't refer to her like that."

"What ya gonna do, poke me to death? Pout til I submit? Whine til I apologize?" Grimmjow teased. "Don't be a jerk." Xaine glared at Grimmjow. "Don't be a brat." Grimmjow countered

Alec rolled her eyes as they argued about her looks. She tapped Ichigo on the shoulder, who looked from Grimmjow and Xaine, to her. She points to her arm. He looks at it as well. "Oh, sorry." He apologized and let go of her arm. As a thank you, she nodded and then points to the door. "WE…We should uh, let you get dressed."

Alec watched Ichigo gently push the men out of the bathroom as they continued to go back and forth. Before Alec turned around, she could see a faint shade of pink brush Ichigo's cheek, as he closed the door.

xXx

"Hold still." Nel wrapped an ice pack in a towel. She gently placed the pack on the young man's swelling eye. "Jack, you need to be more careful. Next time, knock." Nel warned and Jack held the ice pack to his eye. "I wasn't thinking, I'm sorry." Jack apologized for what seemed like the tenth time. "There's not need to apologize every time something happens. Not everything is your fault, okay?

"But-" Nel pressed a finger to his lip, to stop him from finishing. "Grimmjow's going to kill you if you don't get out of the habit."

"But, he's a jerk." Jack countered. "How can I listen to him when he's so mean about everything?" Jack asked. "He means well, I'm sure. He's just."

"A jerk." Jack stated with finality and Nel inwardly sighed. "Oh, Jack. You'll never understand."

Jack tilted his head, giving her a puzzled look. "Understand what?" He asked. She smiled and shook her head. "Nothing. You want to help me with breakfast?"

Jack dropped his shoulders and nodded.

xXx

Alec sat cross legged next to Xaine, while looking at Ichigo and Grimmjow, who stood in front of the bed. "You need to apologize to Jack." Grimmjow spoke up first. Alec raised an eyebrow at the man. "It was uncalled for. You gave him a black eye and nearly twisted his arm out of his socket."

"It was just instinct, Grimm." Xaine defended. "It's not like she knew the guy. Like Xaine said, she acted on instinct. It's his fault for not knocking." Ichigo countered. "He's already apologized. He deserved the black eye for not knocking, but not for his arm." Grimmjow argued. Alec huffed as they went back and forth for her sake. "She hasn't spoken a word since she got here. The hell is she, a mute?"

"In a way, yeah." Xaine explained. "It's a personal matter." He added, so they wouldn't ask. Xaine looked at Alec, who gave him a blank expression. "I think you should at least apologize for the arm."

Alec raised an eyebrow at her younger brother. "He really is a sweet and sincere guy. He can be forgetful sometimes. It really was an accident." Xaine tried to explain to her. Alec thought for a few minutes. "Breakfast is ready!" Nel yelled. "Yes!" Xaine was the first one out of the room. "Hey! Slow down." Grimmjow followed after, with Ichigo tailing. Alec was now by herself and left to her thoughts.

xXx

Everyone sat in the dining hall, having a grand time. As everyone else interacted with each other and ate, Ichigo observed from where he sat. He counted at least fifty of them. They all seemed to get along very well with each other, like a big family. It suddenly quieted down as everyone turned to the entryway. There stood Alec clothed in a pair of short and a wife beater. Her eyes scan the room for her target and she found him in between Nel and an empty chair.

He hadn't noticed her yet, since his eyes never left his plate. She quietly strolled over, her footsteps were barely heard by anyone. She stopped in front of Jack, who still ate quietly. Grimmjow gripped the edge of the table as he watched Alec reach out to touch him. She tapped him lightly on the shoulder. Jack finally looked up and turned to her. He jumped and covered his head expecting her to hit him, again. When nothing happened, he looked at her in confusion. Alec examined him closely. His skin reminded her of light brown sugar and his emerald eyes shined brighter than any diamond she had ever seen. He had blonde hair with orange tips that stopped at his shoulders. His skin would've been flawless had it not been for his freckles across his nose and the dark purple bruise around his left eye.

Alec did feel some guilt for the pain she caused him. After all, it was an accident. She raised her closed fist in front of Jack. He shrank back nervously as Grimmjow slowly rose to his feet. Xaine squeezed the older man's arm as a warning not to attack. Once he looked at it, she opened her fist. It was a small black tube with a white top. She points to the tube and then her own eye. She held up two fingers. "It's a special ointment. It'll help heal his eye quicker. Treat it twice a day, for a week." Xaine explained.

Jack looked at Alec in shock as she bowed in front of him. "She's sorry for the black eye and twisting your arm." Xaine added as Grimmjow sat back down. Jack smiled at her. "Thank you."

Alec stood up straight. "Would….you like to eat with us? There's plenty." Jack invited her while pointing to the seat next to him. Alec hesitated at first, but sat down. Once the tension died down, everyone enjoyed themselves once more.


	6. Chapter 6

"Angel. How are we supposed to find him?" The blonde doctor followed his colleague through the hospital, holding folders. "We'll look high and low for him. He cant be the only one out there. If we can't have him, we'll find another." The ginger haired doctor answered. "I told Aizen like you asked. He knows about the boy."

Angel stopped walking and the blonde nearly bumped into him. "He knows?"

Nikki handed Angel a folder. "He couldn't be here in person to talk, but the boy is one of thousands. At least a few hundred are in the city." Nikki answered as Angel read the file. Angel shook with anticipation. "So many out there. But…I want that boy." Angel said, closing the file. "But…there's so many of them. What's special about this one?" Nikki asked. "I'm not sure. There's something about him. I have to have him. Whatever it takes." Angel starts walking again, not noticing the worried look Nikki was giving him. He hoped that Angel wouldn't become obsessed. It seemed like a longshot. He bit on his bottom and hurried to catch up to his longtime friend. "Wait. Angel."

xXx

Alec strolled through the house when her name was called. "Alec!" She stopped her strolled and turned around to see Nel running up to her. Nel smiled at Alec, who raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I notice you don't talk. Not all of us can understand sign language and I'm sure Xaine doesn't want to translate all of the time. Here." Nel handed Alec a dry erase board and a marker. Alec looked down at it. "Plus, I figured we can go shopping." Nel suggested. "It's fine if you don't want to."

Alec held her hand out for the board and began writing on it. She turned it around and Nel read it. 'I'd rather use this board for emergencies. I'll answer yes and no questions with a nod.'

"That's fine. Do you want to go shopping?" She waited for Alec's answer. Alec inwardly sighed and nodded. Nel jumped for joy and grabbed her hand. "We can get changed and go immediately." Alec was dragged down the hall to Nel's room. Blue eyes narrowed as Nel's room door closed. "Grimm?" A hand touched his shoulder and he turned around to look at Xaine and Jack. It's only been a day and Jack's bruise has already begun to lighten up. "Why are you making that face?" Xaine asked and Grimmjow raised an eyebrow. "What face?"

"The scowl. You frown a lot, not scowl. Ichi scowls." Xaine added. "What are you thinking about?" Jack asked. Grimmjow folded his arms and glared at the two. "What makes you think I'm thinking about something?" Grimmjow defended. "If you're not thinking, you're being sneaky about something." Jack stated. "You don't trust my sister?" Xaine went straight to the point. Grimmjow his head away from the two. "The hell makes you think that?"

Xaine frowned as the man feigned ignorance to the obvious. It was fun and nice at first when they first met. But now, it was frustrating. "She's my sister. I trust her and lover her. She'd never put me in harm's way. Isn't that enough?"

Grimmjow scoffed "She'd never put you in harm's way." He argued. "What about the rest of us? We finally got out of that place and have been free for two years. I'm not about to let anyone fuck it up, no matter who it is." He declared, glaring at Xaine. "But she apologized and the ointment she gave me works. She's been very kind to me. Why do you have to be so mean?" Jack asked. "I'm not being mean. I'm being thorough."

Xaine stomped his foot like a child. "Stop being a brat." Grimmjow ordered. "Stop being a jerk!"

Jack touched Xaine's shoulder. "Xaine, you're not supposed to be upset. You've got to calm down." Jack tried to reason with Xaine. Xaine closed his eyes and balled up his fist. "I guess you don't trust me either." Xaine assumed. Grimmjow said nothing and Xaine pulled away from Jack. "Xaine-"

Xaine heads to his room and slams the door shut. "I can neve have friends with you around." Jack stated and Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "You have friends here." Jack looked at his feet and balled up his fists.

"No. They only tolerate me because they're scared of you. Anyone stronger than them, they're afraid of. They hate me, they think I and….you."

Grimmjow waited for an answer. "What?" Jack looked at the older man, astounded. Jack thought it was obvious. Perhaps, Grimmjow wasn't as smart as Jack thought. "Forget it. You'll never understand when everything's been handed to you." Jack walked away from Grimmjow, leaving him with unanswered questions. 'The hell was he talking about?'

xXx

About an hour later

Jack stood in front of Xaine's room, hoping he'd calm down. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Go away, Grimmjow." His usually quiet and kind voice was darker and raspy. It startled Jack, but he shouldn't have been surprised. He was one of the strongest and scariest. Most people try to stay on his good side, but Grimmjow doesn't care. He always seems to get under Xaine's skin at times.

"It's me." Jack spoke and waited for an answer. "What do you want?"

"Can I come in?" Jack asked. "Fine." Jack slowly opened the door. He was no surprised by what he saw. The chair from the desk was thrown across the room. Clothes all over the floor and one of the bed posts was broken and thrown about somewhere. There was a hole next to Jack's head, but he didn't notice. In the middle of the bed, was Xaine, but he was slightly different. His hair was neater than usual and his eyes were crimson red. His skin was slightly darker as well and Jack could see a strange black marking where his shirt rode up. His nails were painted black as well.

Jack slowly ventured closer to the still irritated male and sat at the edge of the bed. "Are you still mad at him?" Jack asked. "How can I not be when he hates my sister?"

"He never said he hated her." Jack defended. "He didn't have to." Xaine gripped his shredded pillow tightly. "But-"

"I'm tired of talking about it." Jack frowned at his pessimistic behavior. It only made Jack feel worse. How was he going to talk to him when he'd only keep brushing it off? "Is there something you're here for, Jack?" Xaine asked him. "W-well-"

"So nothing, then." Xaine interrupted. "Nothing. I'm sorry." Jack stood up from the bed, but Xaine quickly sat up and grabbed Jack's wrist. Jack made the mistake of looking into his eyes. They were calm yet menacing. It was as if he was looking right into his soul. He felt as if he was paralyzed. "I didn't say to leave." He roughly pulled Jack back on the bad. Once Jack's back hit the mattress, Xaine laid on top, so Jack couldn't move. "Xaine." Jack tried to push him off, but Xaine grabbed both wrists and held them above his head with one hand.

"Xaine. Let go. I need to-"

"You don't have anything to do. You'll be fine. Just shut up and go to sleep." Jack pursed his lips shut as Xaine laid his head on Jack's chest. "But-"

"You'll be fine. It's just sleeping. A simple action."

Jack stil protested. "Don't make me knock you out. You want me to calm down? Do as I say."

Jack dropped his head on the shredded pillow and sighed. Xaine watched closely as Jack finally closed his eyes. Xaine patiently waited until he could hear steady breaths coming from the now sleeping young man. Satisfied with Jack's surrender, Xaine also gave in to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

"Xainy! Jackie!" She skipped through the house, looking for her friends. As she skipped down the hallway, she received looks of admiration, jealousy, and irritation. She never thought she was pretty enough to get to gain attention, so she never paid anyone any mind. She always thought she was fat, although fat shouldn't be in her vocabulary. She was no bigger than a fourteen or sixteen in women's, with an hour glass shape. She checked Jack's room first, but no one was there. She frowned and continued search. Soon Xaine's room came into view. She smiled and ran to the door. She put her ear to the door and listened. She barely heard what sounded like snoring. She smiled and reached for the door knob. Soon, arms wrap around her waist. And one hand grabbed her left breast. "What are you doing?!"

"Finally caught your sexy ass." The deep raspy voice spoke as the large hand squeezed. "No. Let go!" She struggled to pull away. He harasser pulled her against his chest and his free hand ventured up her dress. "But you feel so nice. Your boobs nice and firm. You smell like roses." She could hear him take a whiff of her scent. "I can't wait to know how wet you can get."

Her eyes widened in fear. "N-no!" She screamed as the door swung open. Both look at the person in the doorway with wide eyes. There stood a tired and irritable Xaine. By the color of his eye, they know he was pissed. The man holding her shook in fear and abruptly let go. "S-sorry. Won't happen again." The man apologized and ran off. She smiled at her savior. "Thank you so much, Xaine."

"What did I tell you about wearing clothes like this outside of your room?" Xaine ignored her greeting and she pouted. She had slightly darker skin than jack with four freckles on her left cheek. She had ruby red to go with her long pink hair with red highlights. It was tied in a high ponytail that stopped at her mid back. Her fringes framed the left side of her face. She wore a bright pink chemise dress with lace covering her breasts, that hugged her thick frame tightly.

"But-" Xaine pulled her inside his room and slammed the door shut. Jack jolted awake at the sound of the door slamming. He turned his head to the door and waved lazily. "Jackie!" She ran over to the bed and jumped on top of Jack. He groaned in pain as she landed on his stomach, effectively knocking the wind out of him. "Be more careful, Aniya." Xaine warned. Aniya bounced up and down on Jack's stomach. "Please stop." Jack pleaded. Xaine walked over to the bed and set a hand on Aniya's head. "Wear actual clothes next time you come out of your room, okay?"

Aniya nods as she noticed his deep red eyes turning pink. He was calming down, which was a good thing. "Okay. I will."

"Something that covers up, too." Xaine suggested. Aniya hugged Xaine's waist. "I missed you so much. I'm glad you're back." Aniya rubbed her cheek against Xaine's stomach.

"The hell's going on in here?" They turned to the doorway to see Ichigo and Grimmjow standing in the doorway. Xaine scowled at the blue haired man. Aniya pulled away from Xaine when his eyes glowed red once more. "Don't you knock?"

"The hell do I need to knock for? You don't live here." Grimmjow answered. "So what? I can come and go as I please." Xaine folded his arms and stood defiantly. "What's going on with you, Xaine?" Ichigo approached his old friend. "You've never acted like this before." Ichigo reached for Xaine, who backed away. "Don't touch me."

Ichigo paused and looked at Xaine with worry. "He's just being a brat." Grimmjow claimed. "He's always been like that."

"You've always been a jerk." Ichigo looked at his friend in disbelief. What happened? He was just fine yesterday morning. "Xaine?" Aniya couldn't understand what was going on. He was finally calming down. "Grimmjow. Why didn't you wait until he calmed down? He's still mad at you." Jack rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Well, I don't give a shit how he feels. He's comin with me whether he likes it or not." Grimmjow gently pushed Ichigo out of the way to get to Xaine. "Why can't he stay here with us?" Aniya asked.

"It's too many of us in one place." A melancholic voice spoke from the doorway. A young man no older than Grimmjow, but at least a foot or two shorter than Grimmjow as well. He had paper white skin with contrasting emerald green eyes. He had shoulder length black hair with a black upper lip. He was dressed in a simple white three piece suit, with black buttons, cufflinks, and a black tie had a green bat on it. "Hi, Mr. Cifer." Aniya greeted eagerly. Mr. Cifer nods as acknowledgement to her greeting. He eyes her choice of clothing but said nothing. Ulquiorra looked at Xaine, who frowned at the man. "Ulquiorra."

"You must go with Grimmjow and Ichigo."

"No." Xaine spoke defiantly.

"Don't be selfish, Xaine. No doubt that doctor you ran from is looking for you. If he finds out where you are, all of us will be in danger. I'm positive that he's already been contacted. He'll know that we're in the city. Until we find somewhere else to stay, somewhere remote most likely, you must stay with Grimmjow." Ulquiorra informed. "You're always on his side!" As Xaine yelled, the windows behind Aniya and Jack began to crack. "Xaine stop! You're being stupid."

Xaine gritted his teeth. "I'm always the brat! I'm always the stupid one!" The glass from the windows finally broke. "Try to calm down. Everything will be fine." Ichigo lowered his hands to try and reassure everything will be fine. Jack and Aniya crawled off the bed and backed away as far as they could. "They always say that and everything ends up worse. How the hell can I trust what you say now?!"

Strange black markings appear on his right hand, changing his skin tone. "Xaine." HE glared at Ichigo with glowing piercing red eyes. "I'll be there with you."

Xaine scoffed. "You said that when we were kids, too. What happened then?" Xaine spat bitterly. "I had no control then, but I do now. I won't leave you again." Ichigo risked a step closer. Xaine winced and held his head. "Xaine." Ichigo held out his hand for Xaine to take. Xaine reached for Ichigo's hand. "Don't touch it!" A green whip wrapped around Xaine's wrist and a strange electric current flowed throughout Xaine's body Xaine screamed out, dropping to his knees. Xaine turned to the man in white. "What are you doing?"

"I have done this in both yours favor and his. The longer he is angry, the faster he will be corrupted. If he touched you, you would be corrupted as well." Ulquiorra explained. Xaine's pained screams came to an end when he lost consciousness. His once black hand faded to his normal color. "What happened to him?" Ichigo looked from Ulquiorra and Grimmjow to Jack and Aniya. "What happened to Xaine?"

"A conversation for later. For now, we must vacate the premises. You two, gather everyone together. We leave ahead of schedule." Aniya grabbed Jack's wrist and pulled him out of the room. "What? Why?" Ichigo asked as Ulquiorra walked toward the window. He could see distant sirens and they were getting closer. "We have aroused suspicion. We'll talk later at Grimmjow's."

"Hold the hell up! All these fuckers can't fit at my place."

"You live near a hotel do you not?" Ulquiorra asked, holding up a bank card.


	8. Chapter 8

Jack sat in the corner of one of the guest rooms, playing on his game console, when a groan came from the bed in the middle of the room. He climbed to his feet and hurried over to the bed. Tired, pink colored eyes looked at Jack. "Jack?" Jack smiled at the soft and mellow sound of his friend's voice. "What happened?" Xaine tried to push himself up, but his arms wouldn't budge. He looks down at himself. He's secured in a black straight jacket with red buckles. " Sorry. They told me not to until you calmed down. I'm not supposed to let you out.

Xaine struggled to get out of his personal prison. The more he struggled, the angrier he became. Jack could see it in his eyes. "Xaine, please." Jack pushed Xaine back down on the bed by his shoulders. Xaine looks up into Jack's eyes, as Jack looked into his. "I know you're upset….about a lot of things. I know you're in pain. Please, you must be in control of your anger."

"I'm fine!" Xaine yelled. Jack place his hands on either side of his head. He rested his forehead on Xaine's and closed his eyes. His eyes widen in fear. "No. Stop it! I hate it when yo-" Xaine's pupils narrowed in size. "Don't fight it, Xaine. Okay? Let me in."

Xaine kicked his legs out and squeezed his tear filled eyes shut. "No. It hurts."

"Shhh." Jack hushed him and soon, Xaine stopped kicking. His eyes turned from bright pink to a dull grey. "St-stop." Xaine begged and Jack kissed his forehead. "Jack?" Jack opened his eyes to look into Xaine's once more. They were once again hazel, with blue around the pupil. "I'm hungry."

Jack chuckles. "Of course you are. I'll go bring some food and we can watch movies."

"Sounds like a plan." Jack climbed off of the bed and hurries out of the room. Xaine sighs and laid on his side. "I hate it here." Xaine mumbled.

xXx

Jack wanders into Grimmjow's kitchen, looking for snacks, when he overheard the others talking. "Why is Xaine….out of sorts?" Ichigo asked. "He might have been the youngest, but he and Jack were the first, therefore they went through hundreds of experiments day after day. More than we ever did. They were like the guinea pigs to of success. In other words-" Ulquiorra started.

"The experiment was perfected on those two. Ever since then, no one else has ever had to go through so many test, unless there was a complication." Grimmjow added. "There were complications?"

"Yeah. Me, Ulquiorra, Aniya, Nel, and a few others were considered complications." Grimmjow answered and Ichigo was at a loss. "Everyone there, had a similar genetic code to each other, so they were able to merge successfully. We were different. With each one of us that showed complications, they had to change the codes to match ours. Like I said, we didn't go through as many tests as those two did."

"That still doesn't explain Xaine's personality shift."

"When we first met Xaine, he was what you knew him to be. Sweet, caring, not a mean bone in his body. There was no temper there, either. It was like nothing ever happened to him, despite all of the pain and suffering." Grimmjow looked down at the floor with sadness. "Please, tell me what happened." Ichigo begged. He needed to know what happened to cause his friend to fall off so drastically. "He tried to save us." Ulquiorra answered simply. "They were able to merge our genetic codes with a single donor. But Jack and Xaine were the only ones able to merge with several. Th-"

"Wait. Several what?

"Anything with a soul, Ichigo, animals, people." The orange haired man stared at them with wide eyes. "Yes, they killed to have them merge with us. That is the only way it is possible."

"Now stop interrupting, so we can finish." Ichigo clamped his mouth shut and listened to Grimmjow's command. "Jack and Xaine would be considered the strongest of all of us. Because of that, our animal instinct, we are their humble servants. Like the alpha of a pack." Ulquiorra described. "Those bastards discovered that and wanted to utilize it to their advantage. Xaine refused to be a part of the experiment, because in our current state, he knew we'd possibly die from anymore experimentation. We'd be dead inside, soulless puppets to do with as they pleased. No personality, no free will. He didn't want that. HE promised we'd be free one day and he'd be the one to do it. His defiance nearly worked."

Ichigo twitched slightly, wanting to ask at least one more question. Curiosity was killing him and they could see it. "You want to know how we'd die from the experiments?" Ulquiorra assumed and Ichigo nodded. "Jack and Xaine are the only ones who can willingly come back to life. We have regenerative powers, but they aren't strong enough for that kind of power. If they choose to, they can bring us back to life themselves." Ulquiorra answered. 'All that power in two people? It's not possible.'

"Moving on. Like Ulq said, he was defiant, and no one dared cross him. Except one. HE didn't care what it took, he wanted results. So he tried to force Xaine to submit to the experiments."

Submit? What the hell did he do?

"He played with Xaine's mind. Tried twisting things, making him hallucinate. Make him think everyone was against him. Ruining what fond memories he had left. After days of trying, Xaine never broke, until they decided to try something else." Ulquiorra continued. "They knew of his history, so they tried to hit him where it hurt the most."

Ichigo could only think of one thing at the moment. It was only once that he had ever seen Xaine's smiling face frown, as a child. "Right in front of him. Hours and hours, they were video taped, tortured to death, and then brought back to life. Over and over again. They were begging for it to just end….and they kept going." Ulquiorra spoke as calm as can be, but Grimmjow was violently shaking while clutching the arm of the chair. "Some of us were forced to watched him break down, begging for them to end it. But they didn't. It was days before they ended the torment, but by then, it was too late. We knew it, we sensed it, but we didn't stop it. All that pain and anguish from the years of torture. All the negative energy from those souls fueled him even more, until a whole new personality was born. One far more threatening and feared than Xaine himself. He was consumed by the anger, the hatred, the lies that they forced into his mind. He couldn't think straight and he slaughtered all of them. He nearly broke his promise and killed us as well, but-"

"Jack saved us. He was the only one who could get through to Xaine."

"That's why you don't trust Alec?" Ichigo interrupted, not caring at this point. "Without Jack, we could permanently lose Xaine to his insanity. No one would be safe." Ulquiorra explained. "The kid don't understand that." Grimmjow added. "Why don't you tell him?!" Ichigo stood up to his feet. "She's all he has left of his actual family. When he thought she was dead, you became his family! Now she's back and for him to find out that you guys can't even trust her because of one accident?! She took down a guy nearly twice her size! That's more than basic combat skills. I'm sure she was trained to kill! She obviously restrained herself!"

"Everyone's a suspect when lives are in danger. I can't afford to trust anyone I don't know!" Grimmjow stood up next. "Including me, huh?!"

Grimmjow grabbed the front of Ichigo's shirt. "Hell yeah. But I can't let ya die, either! You're a part of his sanity. You were one of the only people able to keep his thoughts from going dark after that incident. He fought us tooth and nail to find ya. He ran away to find ya. I know he was thinking of ya, cause if he wasn't he damn sure wouldn't have let that red haired fuck, get to him! He would've bashed his skull in and then some! If it went for that kid's sanity, you'd be a liability and I'd kick your ass." Grimmjow finished and shoved Ichigo away.

"Xaine's a smart understanding guy. If you knew him, then you'd know that if you had a legitimate reason for distrusting family, he'd understand and wouldn't push it. You need to tell him the truth, before you lose whatever friendship you have left." Ichigo pushed Grimmjow out of the way and left the apartment. Jack listened from the kitchen, looking down at the floor with guilt ridden eyes. He sat, huddled in a corner with his arms wrapped around himself. "So, you heard everything?" He didn't have to look up to recognize the monotonous voice. "His family really is…..?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"So that whole story was true. I saved everyone?" Jack had only showed up after the event had taken place. Since he was supposed to have peace of mind, he was separated from everyone, so his thoughts wouldn't be corrupted. "Those….pained voices I heard in his head…. They were in so much pain." He dropped his head on his knees. "You need to rest, Jack. You can't help Xaine if you're not of sound mind. He needs you more than you think. Spend as much time with him as possible."

"Why do you make it sound like I'm only an asset when it comes to Xaine?" Jack asked. "No. You are more than that to us. The others might only tolerate you because of us, but that is only because we choose to be with you on a personal level as well as a business level. Xaine is only part of the reason we are still here."

Jack looked at the older man in astonishment. He had never know Ulquiorra to lie, but he has also never know Ulquiorra to be so open either. "Perhaps, when Ichigo calms down, we call all go out and…..have fun."

Jack raised an eyebrow at the man. Fun wasn't in the serious man's vocabulary, either. What's going on? The door suddenly slammed open. "Grimmy! Ulqui!" Hurried footsteps head toward the kitchen. "What is it, Nel?" Ulquiorra asked. "Some jerks just snatched Ichigo right off the street!" As soon as she finished, there was a thud down the hallway. It was Xaine, on his knees looking at them tiredly. "Where's Ichi?"


	9. Chapter 9

Nikki sat behind his desk, doing paperwork. He rested his head on his hand as he thought about the boy, Xaine. He was so close to him and he got away. Why was he so obsessed with this one child? It didn't make sense. He was pushed out of his thoughts when there was a knock on the door. "Yes?"

"They found Ichigo, Kurosaki. They're bringing him to the lab." Nikki looked at the messenger in confusion. "The lab? Why? Where's Angel"

The messenger shrugged. "I'm not sure. Thought you should know."

Nikki pushed himself away from the desk and hurried out of the office. By the time he reached the lab, he could hear pained screams coming from inside. Nikki peeked through the clear doorway. Several men in lab coats surround one metal table. He could still see a mop of orange hair. Angel decided it was time to go inside and ask questions. "Will you tell us where he is?" Asked one of the doctors as Angel pushed his way through. Ichigo was turning pale, both skin and hair. His half lidded brown eyes were getting brighter. There were bruises and metal plugs littered all over his body. One on each side, four in each arm, eight on both legs, and one large one in the middle of his chest. "N-never." He spoke slowly.

"Fine." Nikki watched with wide eyes as one of the doctor cut off one of his fingers with bolt cutters. Ichigo screamed out in pain. "What are you doing?!" Nikki pushed the doctor out of the way. He could clearly see that all but four of his fingers were gone. His left leg was missing as well. He was bleeding out, he'd die before he'd give them answers. "You idiots, do you see what you've done?!"

"Of course. We're teaching him a lesson about keeping secrets from us. He knows where the boy, Xaine is." Nikki visibly stiffened at the mention of Xaine. "Give us a minute." Nikki spoke. "We were here first." The doctors were ready to fight the man, but Nikki didn't care. "So I guess I'll have to mention to him how you tortured, maimed, nearly killed a civilian, a famous one at that, without authorization."

The doctors look at each other. "If it was authorized, wouldn't a commanding officer be here?"

All of the doctors look at the head doctor. "You said it was authorized."

"It is. Don't listen to him."

The doctors didn't seem to agree, so one by one they left out of the room. The head doctor glared at Nikki. "You win this round, freak." With that said, the head doctor left the room. Nikki stood by his side, waiting for Ichigo to calm down.

xXx

"I want to help find Ichigo." Xaine volunteered as everyone but he and Jack were ready to leave. "No. Stay here with Jack." Grimmjow ordered as he pulled out a large case from under the bed the two young men sat on. "But, if I didn't go looking for him, he'd be safe. Please, let me help." Xaine begged. "No."

"But-"

"I said no!" Grimmjow's yelling caught Xaine off guard. "You're better off being here. You can't come."

"You never let me do anything. What's the point of being free when I don't have my own free will to do anything? I should've just stayed there." Xaine dropped his head and gripped his knees. "He has a good reason, I'm sure." Jack squeezed Xaine's shoulder and held him tightly. "Grimmjow." HE turned from the Xaine and looked to the door. "You need to stay here."

He narrowed his eyes at Nel. "The hell I do!"

"He can never calm down if you leave him in the dark. Confusion leads to anger. By you not talking, you're contributing to others' harm." Nel answered. "She is right. You were to keep an eye on him, you witnessed everything, you should be the one to tell them the truth." Ulquiorra spoke, standing next to her. Grimmjow scowled at the two. "Grimmjow?" He looked at Jack and Xaine. Jack gave him a knowing look, but Xaine was left in the dark. He didn't like it one bit. "Just talk to them. Help them understand."

Did he have a choice, not likely. "Whatever." He mumbled and tossed then his gun case. "Just bring the idiot back safely." He grumbled and stuffed his hands in his pocket as they left. Alec hurried into the room and kissed Xaine on the forehead. "See you later, Alec." She ruffled Jack's head and left the room, paying no mind to Grimmjow's glare. Alec gently closed the door, leaving a tense environment in the room. Xaine folds his arms. "Well?" Grimmjow scratched the back of his head, not really wanting to explain anything. "Dammit.

xXx

Ichigo's pained screams turned to whimpers and then heavy breathing. "Ichigo?" Nikkil moved closer to the table. "Who…are you?" His hands cradle Ichigo's face. "My name's Nikki. I'm a doctor here." Angel answered. "You're the doctor he's afraid of."

"No. That is my colleague." Ichigo blinked slowly. "Distrusting…off doctors."

Angel chuckled. "Of course. I must admit that I am very curious of his abilities. Him being able to come back to life after the autopsy. There's something more there with my colleague. I'm not sure what, yet. Try not to scream." Nikki yanked the plugs out his arms. What was left of his fingers twitched from his pain. He pulled all the plugs out except the middle one. He wrapped his hands around the thick cord of the last plug."Ni-Nik." He looked at Ichigo with worry as he grew paler. " I…don't feel…like myself."

"I'll get you out of here, okay? This wasn't supposed to happen." As Nikki started to tug on, the strange machine turned itself on. There was a strange tube next to the machine. The white tar like substance inside started to bubble. He watched it lower and Ichigo's body began convulsing. ' .No. Failsafe.'

"Dammit." Nikki hurried over to the computer, to turn off the machine. As he typed in the codes, he turned his head. Color completely drained from his hair and body. The brown from his eyes bled to the sclera and turned black. His irises shimmered gold. "Hang on, Ichigo."

He turned back to the computer and finally turned it off. Nikki turned back around to see the last plug detach itself from him, leaving a large black hole in the middle of his chest. His hair grew longer, stopped past his butt and his nail were painted black. Ichigo pushed himself off the table, falling on his side. "Hold on, Ichigo." Angel hurried over to his side. And helped him sit up. Ichigo laid his head on Nikki's shoulder. "I don't think I can move. I'm sorry." He apologized to Nikki, who held him tightly. "I'm going to take you to a close friend. He's in this building and went through the same treatment you did. He can help you and I'll help you both get out of here okay?" Ichigo nodded slowly and his eyes slowly closed. Nikki shook him lightly. "Stay with me, Ichigo."

"My…head hurts. It's ringing. So loud." His breathing grew heavy and he held his head.

"Damn. Too late. Ichi listen to me." Ichigo tried his best as the ringing grew louder. "Look for Kei. That's his name. He has golden eyes and blonde hair. There's a marking under his left eye. His room is in the east wing. Find the bridge and go across it. Please, Ichigo."

Ichigo leaned on all fours and then bent forward to rest his head on his arms. "Make it stop!" His voice became watery and distorted. Ichigo begged and screamed out as his missing finger began to grow back. Nikki watched the torn leg muscles fix themselves and wrap around his exposed skeleton, soon forming skin. Ichigo tried to crawl away from the helpful man. "No, Ichigo. You can't leave yet." Nikki reached for Ichigo, but he just turned on his side reaching for nothing in particular. His body was on fire. He felt like he was being skinned alive. Strange markings appear and stretch out from the hole in his chest, and wrap around the shoulders.

"D-damn you b-bastards."

Marks appeared on his face and soon horns began protruding out of his head. His newly acquired fingers sharpened and lengthened into claws. Strange, white flicks of fire appear on his on his face, soon began making a mask on his face. Razor sharp teeth and a marking down both sides of his face. His horns went outward and then pointed forward. Strange red fur appeared around his neck and wrists. Nikki watched in awe and fear as the monster stood tall before him.


	10. Chapter 10

Nikki covered his ears as it roared loudly. It was distorted and watery just like his voice.

"Ichigo!" The screaming was so painful, his ears bled. Soon, he couldn't hear anything. Nikki looked up in time to see the monster walking towards him. It growled and reached for him. Before he could, the door opened. Angel and a few armored guards hurried in. "Nikki!" He hurting over to his friend. Nikki jumped in shock, but relaxed when he realized it was Angel. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Nikki questioned. "I said are you alright."

"What are you saying?" Nikki questioned and it worried Angel. He looked at the monster, who backed away. "Don't just stand there you idiots! Shoot it!" Angel commanded. They opened fire and the monster used it's arm to block the attacks. "No!" Nikki yelled and tried to reach for the monster. It roared and lowered his head a glowing red ball appeared in the middle of the horns. "Shit." Angel pushed Nikki and himself on the ground. "Get down!" Before anything could happen, the ball fired into a beam, disintegrated the top half of the guards' bodies. A white flash zoom right past them. Nikki pushed himself up. "Ichigo." He mumbled to himself. "The boy's friend?" Angel looked at him in disbelief, even though he knew Nikki was currently deaf.

Nikki crawled over to the table where the strange white liquid dripped to the floor. He pulled a vial out of his coat and let some drip into the vial. He sealed it and gave it to Angel. "This…turned Ichigo into that monster." Nikki explained. "I think they found a faster way for it to take effect. "So you're the one that let him loose?" Angel looked at the source of the voice, knowing they were screwed. "Dammit."

xXx

"Nikki? Nikki! It's time for lunch. You said we can have ramen! I'm hungry." He yelled out, hoping Nikki was nearby. When there was no answer, he leaned against the wall and looked at his reflection. He had dark skin and long blonde hair tied into a low ponytail. He had long fringes that stopped under his chin. He had a sharp looking arrow under his left eye. He wore a white silk pajama set and his hands were covered by metal iron. It covered from his hands to his elbows. He was sitting in the corner of a padded room.

He had been in that one cell for year, never seen sunlight, or even watched tv. His only friend comes to see him everyday, before every shift and he was late. He couldn't hold it against Nikki. Who'd want to be around him anyway? He looked in his lap in sadness. He then heard a loud crash, screams, and gun fire. An inhuman roar sounded throughout the facility. Hurried footsteps were headed straight for him. "Follow that thing!"

"Kill him!"

More gun fire and screams. Soon, everything went quiet. He listened intently as silence filled the air. Soon, a large white hand punched through the door. "What the-" He pushed himself to his feet as the door was ripped right off its hinges. "What now?" A bare white foot stepped in inside. Eyes ventured up the well muscled leg and his eyes stopped. HE smirked. "Nice package." He complimented as the monster ducked it's head before entering. "What do you want?"

The monster approached him, dropping a body that was missing its lower half. "Uh." He felt like shrinking at the size of the obviously strong monster. He began to feel a sudden pressure bearing down on him. He felt like he couldn't breathe and his eyes were glazed over. "Wh-what is it?" He dropped to his knees, slowly losing consciousness, the last thing he saw was a large clawed hand reaching for him. The soldiers hurried to the bridge of the eastern wing and skids to a stop. There, on the other side of the bride, was their target, holding an unconscious young man. One of the soldiers recognized the young man. "Kei, is that you?" The soldier asked. The young man slowly lifted his head. "I don't feel so well."

He gagged and covered his mouth, ready to puke. "Hold on, Kei." He urged the captive as they opened fire. Kei tried to cover his head."Stop!" The guard ordered. "You'll hurt Kei."

The soldiers looked at the first guard. "But we're to take it down, no matter what." Another guard spoke up. "You can't hurt him."

The force of the monster's roar pushed the guards back through the double doors, dropping their weapons. The first guard scrambled to its feet in time to see the monster blast a whole through the bridge's wall. "No!" He yelled and reached for Kei, who reached for him. But in a flash, Kei and the white demon was gone.

xXx

Xaine sat on the bed, listening to both sides of the story. The story was shocking and unbelievable. He did that? Why couldn't he remember? He faintly remembered getting upset and throwing a tantrum, but not killing others. "I didn't do that." Xaine shook his head in denial. "Yes, you did." Grimmjow argued back, sitting in a chair, next to the bed. "No." Xaine continued his denial and Jack rested a hand on his shoulder. "Xaine. I wasn't there for the massacre, but I was there in the aftermath. You were covered in their blood. You were so angry and hurt. It was hard to get through to you, after you saw what they did to them. You would've killed everyone, if I hadn't shown up. Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Nel, all but I. Since you couldn't kill me, it would've been just us. We'd only be able to hide for so long without them." Jack explained.

Xaine dropped his shoulders and looked down at his hands. "People died because of me." Xaine hugged himself. "People died, because of what they turned you into." Grimmjow stated, cleaning out his ear. "The only way you'll really be free, is if we kill them all. Get rid of the evidence and free the others."

Jack frowned at Grimmjow. "Feeding him violent thoughts only makes it worse."

"It's not like we can treat him like a kid. He wanted to know what was going on and now he'll know what he need to do to be happy. He-"

Jack quickly covered Grimmjow's mouth. "No. He doesn't have emotional control yet. Stop with the violence." Grimmjow slapped his hand away and stands to his feet. "You can't keep babying him. He's old enough to handle this."

Jack climbed out of bed and stood in front of him. "I am not babying him. I'm protecting him from all of your negative aspects."

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at Jack. "You are the epitome of destruction." Jack pointed to the gun case on the floor. "You spew out anger and curses. You don't care and that is your curse. Ulquiorra's the curse of nihilism, Stark of solitude, and so on. I can't blame you for how you feel, but you can't push your beliefs onto Xaine. He is the epitome of all of that negativity and we can only do so much to keep it locked away. The negative thoughts only make it worse." Grimmjow balled up his fists, but said nothing.

"But is that the only way?" Xaine chimed in. Jack looked at his young friend with worry. "That isn't something you need to worry about."

"Yes, it is. If I ever want to be able to do anything, they need to be stopped."

"No!" Jack yelled at the Xaine, who clamped his mouth shut. Grimmjow raised his eyebrow at his sudden outburst, but said nothing. "You're important to me. I can't let you get hurt." Jack answered and Xaine frowned. Jack took a deep breath before leaving the room. "Jack." Xaine called out to him, but Jack just kept going. Grimmjow rolled his eyes. "Stay here." He ordered Xaine, before going after Jack.


	11. Chapter 11

Angel was force to stand between guards as Nikki was led into an all glass chamber, in a different room. It was one way, so they could see him, but he couldn't see them. Nikki knocked on the glass, looking around for his friend. "Angel? Angel I want to get out. Can't we go home? Who is that man?" Nikki asked the man, but he couldn't even answer. He didn't know the man, but the solders he was surrounded by, he knew their uniforms all too well. Those white swat uniforms with the animals on the front and the numbers on the shoulder. The only soldiers that didn't need guns. All ten of them were here, but why?

Yes, the two lived together since they were eighteen. They suffered and conquered together, best friends and brothers. He could never leave Nikki in this place. "I didn't mean to turn him into that. He….just shouldn't have been here. They didn't receive permission to take him and…Angel wasn't there to oversee them, so I thought it was best to let them go. Dr. Roan was in charge of the torture." Nikki explained. Yes, Angel was one of three medical chiefs that worked there. Although he was one step away from owning the hospital, he never used his position to torture his friend. One day when Nikki was stronger, he could have Angel's position, but for now, he was in pediatrics. He did have the knowledge to do more, but he loved children. Perhaps, that was the reason he was in this situation. He cared too much.

"Why is he in there? He didn't do anything wrong." Angel stated as he watched the man in charge walk up to the glass cage. He was slim and his white clothes only made him look smaller. But Angel knew not to underestimate him. He had short white hair with the face of a sly fox. "Name's Ichimaru. Azien apologizes for his absence at such an important event." The man knelt in front of the case and placed a hand over Nikki's. "He's cute at least. You think he'd make a good pet?"

Angel tried to lunge forward, but he was held down. "Leave him alone." Angel demanded. "Awe, don't worry. I won't touch him. But, I do wonder…..has he ever had intercourse with anyone?"

"That's none of your business."

Ichimaru pouted at the protective ginger. "I'm just asking. No need to be so upset over it." Ichimaru folded his arms. "Why is he in there?"

Ichimaru frowned and sighed. "I'm only following orders. Until the Lord Aizen gets here, he's not allowed to leave."

"Can't he go home? If he's not allowed to leave, you never said he couldn't go home and stay there." Angel pointed out. "If that's the case, then he needs to be watched."

"I'll do it." Angel volunteered. "Nope. Ya gotta work, keep food on the table for him. Buy him the tools he needs for his new disability."

Angel was confused. "You can't fix it?"

Gin shrugged. "Not my department. You need to speak with Octava for that. If he chooses to help."

"So you mean he'll be stuck like this?! Having ruptured eardrums for the rest of his life?!" It wasn't fair. If he didn't get help for Nikki, he might need to change his profession. He can't take care of children if he can't hear them. "He's smart enough to do it, but he's not wiling to help everyone for free. His double is here, but not he himself." Ichimaru answered. "For now, he'll stay here. I'll look into his claim and speak with the other doctors, to get the truth."

"But they'll just fabricate the story. They'll only tell half the truth." He knows his colleagues too well. If Aizen were to believe those doctors, Nikki will be punished. He can't let that happen. Ichimaru approached Angel and ruffled his hair. "That's why I brought incentive." He refers to the elite guard behind Angel. "How will you know what the truth is?" Angel questioned. "I have my ways. Give us a few hours and if your friend tells the truth, he can go. If not…well, he won't die, I'll inform you of that at least." As Ichimaru leaves, the guards holding him, let him go. All but one of the guards left the room. The guard watched him for a few seconds. "Your friend speaks the truth, I can hear it and see it in his aura." The voice was strong and yet light and feminine.

"The sacrifices that you're willing to give for your friend is admirable. He is fortunate to have someone like you to take care of him. Your loyalty to each other is strong. Don't let anything or anyone waver that trust. In the end, it is all you will have, Doctor Siege." With that said the guard left Angel and Nikki in the empty room. Angel hurried over to the case and sat in front of Nikki. For the first time, he noticed that Nikki was drenched in something. But what was it? His clothes were completely stained white. He feared for the young man. Since Nikki's hands were on the glass, he felt the vibrations. "Angel?" The deaf blonde turned to the source of the vibrations. "I can't see you."

Nikki couldn't read lips, especially since it was one way glass. Angel rested his head on the glass trying to think of a way to talk to him. He then felt small vibrations coming from the other side. HE looked up to see Nikki tapping on the glass with his pointer finger. He was using Morse code. They both studied the code as well as brail for times such as these.

Angel closed his eyes and listened. "I'm in trouble aren't I?"

"No. You told the truth. Those responsible for Ichigo's capture and torture will be dealt with. It just needs to be confirmed." Angel coded. "You spoke to me, but I couldn't hear you."

"Your ear drums ruptured. I know someone who can fix it, but I'll just have to find a way to get him to help." It was silent for a few minutes. "What am I going to do if I can't do my job?" Nikki asked with worry. "I was supposed to take them out to lunch. These people are cruel to them. I can't leave."

Angel opened his eyes and looked at his young friend's sad eyes. "You can't come back here for now. They think that your current dilemma will hinder your job. They don't want to risk it."

Nikki balled up his fist and slammed it against the case. "It's not fair!" He yelled. "I can still do my job, I can." He slammed his fist against the wall again and again. Nikki covered his right eye and rested his forehead against the case. "Nikki?" Nikki peeked through his fingers to show his eye glowing. Angel's heart sped up and he furiously tapped on the screen. "Nikki. Don't show any negative emotions, right now. You might've been infected. They'll keep you here."

"Hurts. Hurts." Nikki answered back. Angel examined the case closely, noticing the vents in the corners and one tube leading from the case to one of the computers. "I'll put you to sleep, okay?"

"The code is 5678. Go under hibernate. I'll sleep for twelve hours." Nikki instructed curling into himself. Angel hurried over to the computer, set in the code. Nikki took a deep breath as he began to feel drowsy. He palmed the glass looking at Angel one last time, before falling unconscious. Angel walked back to the case and sat next to Nikki. "You'll be out of here soon, I hope."

xXx

"Are we there yet?" Nel whined from the back seat with Alec silently looking out the window. "It's ten more minutes away." Ulquiorra answered from the passenger seat. "Make him go faster. Ichi's in trouble."

"We know this, but your tantrum is not help-" The car swerved to the left. Alec hit her head against the window, leaving a spider crack. "Why did you do that?!" Nel slapped the driver on the side of the head. Instead of answering, he looked out the window. Something caught his attention. There, further down the street was a tall white figure, holding something. "What is that?" Nel moved closer wanting to know what that was. Alec narrowed her eyes, but she noticed a very distinct and bright color on the figure. Alec shook Nel. "What?" She looked at Alec, who pointed to her hair and then to the figure.

"Drive." Ulquiorra ordered, noticed the familiar bright orange hair this figure adorned. "But, where?" The driver asked as the figure roared loudly. Glass from the buildings shattered all around them. "Back up. Back up. Back up." Nel hit the back of the driver's seat frantically. The driver backed away from the figure as it ran after them. "How'd he turn so quickly?! He was only gone for two hours!" Nel yelled.

"They might have found a way to speed up the process. Right now, we have to out run him until he tires himself out." The car did a 180 turn and sped up. One of the buildings they passed exploded. "He's shooting ceros now?!" Alec turned in her seat to look out the back window. It sped up while holding out a hand, reaching for them. Something wasn't right. It screamed for them, but they kept going. Soon, an idea popped into her head. She pulled her notepad and pen out of her pocket. She quickly drew something on a blank sheet of paper. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Soon, her car door disintegrated. "Alec, no." Ulquiorra turned around in time to see Nel reach for Alec, but she jumped out.

Alec landed on her feet, skidding to a halt. She ran forward, but took a sharp left, avoiding its claw hand. She ran into an abandoned building and hid behind a pillar. She watched their friend crash through the building. He roared once more and walked further into the building. He stopped in the middle of the room, looking around. Alec peeked from behind the pillar. There was a young man in his arm, he wasn't familiar to her. Maybe he was important. Alec quickly drew something else on a clean sheet of paper. She hid behind the pillar in time for long white fingers to grab the corner of the pillar, above her head. She took a deep breath and came out of hiding.

She stood before the newly born creature with hope and determination. It growled lowly at her, but didn't move to hurt her. So far, her suspicions seemed correct. Alec showed the over grown monster what she drew. It seemed distracted by the picture. It was more than enough time for a short green blade to slice through one of the horns. Instead of the usual growl it began to speak. "Al…Alec." Soon, its long hair retreated to that familiar shoulder length hair style. It reached for her as its white skin began to peel away. It's mask cracked and then burst into a million pieces, to reveal Ichigo's now pale face.

He dropped to his knees and his golden eyes returned to their normal color. The black sclera bled white and he dropped his captive. The hole in the middle of his chest began to close as he fell forward, completely unconscious. Alec hurried to his side, resting his head in her lap. Nel and their driver hurried into the building as Ulquiorra checked Ichigo's and the captive's pulse. "They'll both be fine, but they needs medical attention."

Alec then pointed to her head, hoping her question was obvious. "When an arrancar is born. They become the carrier of uncontrollable blood lust and rage. Part of their mask or their horn needs to be broken, in order for them to revert back to themselves. He won't remember anything while he was turned." Ulquiorra explained while Nel bent forward to examine Ichigo closely. Their driver took off his jacket and laid it across the unconscious and naked man's lap.

"You know. He has a nice package. I wonder if anyone told him that." Nel blurted out. In retaliation and not a shred of emotion on her face, Alec grabbed Nel's boobs and twisted them in opposite direction. Nel screamed out. "Owie! Stop! You're going to rip em right off." Nel swatted at the hands as her eyes teared up. "I believe that is the point, Nellilel."

"I got the point! I got the point. I'm sorry!" Alec only twisted more. "You can torture her later, Alec. Ichigo and this boy needs attention." Ulquiorra set the possible ally on his back as the driver carried Ichigo bridal style out of the building. Alec reluctantly let go and Nel tenderly rubbed her aching breasts. "So mean." She pouted at Alec retreating back, but followed suit.


End file.
